Lessons from the Poor

“Many people are naturally entrepreneurial, but the spirit of enterprise can be easily discouraged by government restrictions or a culture of conformity. Many poor countries have suffered from bad government and unnecessary regulations that discourage small-firm formation and growth. The important book Lessons from the Poor provides informative case studies of how good government has fostered entrepreneurship and economic development in some of the poorest countries of the world.”

“When we think about fighting poverty, we mostly listen to the rich—western businessmen, policymakers and academics. This wonderful, inspiring book gives us the advice from the poor.”

“Lessons from the Poor shows that the mightiest soldiers in the war on poverty are poor people themselves. This fascinating book documents the remarkable creativity and entrepreneurship of the poor, ranging from the family grocer in Kenya that became a supermarket giant to the makers of traditional dyed cloth in the informal sector in Nigeria, who make as much money as corporate managers in the formal sector. The message of the book is profoundly hopeful—as governments remove obstacles to entrepreneurship, there is much potential for the poor to lift themselves out of poverty.”

“Discovering the root causes of poverty in the Third World and attempting to combat them has become a billion-dollar industry in itself. Yet, according to the Independent Institute, international aid efforts may only serve to hinder rather then encourage economic development. Lessons from the Poor: Triumph of the Entrepreneurial Spirit chronicles the successes of Third World entrepreneurs who lifted themselves up from poverty and overcame obstacles (particularly the labyrinth of government regulations) to become successful business owners. . . . Ultimately, as the Independent Institute’s study shows, free enterprise and the extraordinary fortitude and vision of Third World entrepreneurs do play significant roles in alleviating poverty.”

“Of interest is a new book from the Independent Institute. . . . The new volume bears an intriguing title: Lessons from the Poor. The book returns you to the basics of economic life, and even somewhat to life itself. . . . I intend to keep this book on my shelf, for factual reference and even, perhaps, for inspiration. One of the glories of this book is that there is nothing ideological about it. It simply searches the questions, ‘What works and why?’ Material progress is not everything in life, but, as V. S. Naipaul once observed, the poor need it—and they could have it, if only others would get off their throats. . . . This is a valuable and emboldening book. It says, in a nutshell, that the remedy for Third World poverty is entrepreneurship—not socialism, not mindless foreign aid, and surely not Western guilt. But entrepreneurship. To me, the book's arguments are irrefutable. And so is the experience of the last many decades.”